Brace yourself. Winter is coming.
It is going to be a long flight home for the Miami Dolphins.
Matthew Wright, a software engineer turned kicker, connected on a 53-yard field goal in the final seconds for a Jacksonville Jaguars 23-20 victory over the Miami Dolphins at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
Jaguars (1-5) ended a 20-game losing streak; Dolphins (1-5) have lost five in a row.
Jaguars had not made a field goal all season entering the game. Wright played in only his third game also made a “screwball” 54-yarder to tie the game at 20 with 3:40 remaining.
Trevor Lawrence has a bright future in the NFL. He was 25 of 41 for 319 yards and a touchdown in his first career win, considered a “home” game.
Urban Meyer was the recipient of his first win as a head coach. On the final drive, Lawrence connected on a slant pass to Laviska Shenault Jr. Meyer called timeout with 1 second remaining after the Dolphins (1-5) gambled on a fourth-and-1 from their 46 with Malcolm Brown, who was stopped for no gain.
This is rock bottom for the Dolphins—a heartbreaking loss.
Tua Tagovailoa, who made his first start in a month, threw two touchdown passes to Jaylen Waddle. Tagovailoa finished 33 of 47 for 329 yards with the two TD passes and one interception in his return from fractured ribs.
Tagovailoa’s interception occurred after Christian Wilkins sacked Lawrence and recovered fumbled for the Dolphins. A mistake that hurt their momentum.
The coaches and players have to accept responsibility for this loss. Everything that could have gone wrong went wrong. There were some positives with Tagovailoa coming back from injury-making plays, wide receivers Mack Hollins, Durham Smythe stepping up. Mike Gesiki played his best game of the season at the tight end position.
Dolphins will not improve until the offensive line improves and they can run the football. This is a disappointing season at 1-5 after winning ten games last season.
Dolphins do not need to make changes at the moment. This organization has confidence in Chris Grier and Brian Flores; last year, everyone was patting them on the back; they hear the boo-birds this season. It is the nature of the NFL. They need to have continuity; they have a young quarterback back in the starting lineup.
There is some optimism for Miami. There are leaders on this team. It is not a locker room issue or leadership issue. Injuries, missing playmakers, and moving the offensive line around have been awful, leading to this sluggish start for the Dolphins. Playing well last year does not carry over to the current season, but they can only go up from here.
Miami has a sneaking game ahead as they host Atlanta.
Jacksonville will have a bye then take their talents to Seattle on Halloween.
